When I first posted the news of Silicon Mountain/Visionman’s new Allio line of TV/Blu-Ray/PCs, the news seemed to come from nowhere. The company has been a low-profile asset to the PC community and is only now starting to distinguish themselves as something more than a memory module and bare-bones kit manufacturer. I wanted to learn more so I secured an interview with Tré Cates, the CEO and founder of Silicon Mountain, about this new identity and about the Allio system.

Tré made one thing absolutely clear. Silicon Mountain is no fly-by-night company that has come out of nowhere to take your hard-earned cash and disappear. They’ve actually been around for 14 years now and have solid relationships with consumers worldwide. The Allio, as previously noted is being touted as the first HDTV with built in Blu-Ray functionality. Silicon Mountain has been working on the techniques used to create a system such as this their entire existence and building rack-mounted servers has its advantages. They’ve now taken that expertise and put it to use in a chassis behind an LCD panel. The total depth of the unit? 4.5 inches. That is a pretty spectacular number considering the specs. The machine doesn’t come with a lot of pre-loaded junk, either. Tré mentioned that the only thing you’ll see when you start it (that isn’t already in Vista) is a folder for “My Allio,” which is basically nothing more than a few links to get you started at watching internet TV. In the next 60 days or so, they’ll also be rolling out something that Tré dubbed the “Allio Effect,” which will be a service that caters to the individual consumer. While he didn’t say how it would work, he mentioned that there would be a specific service based upon your tastes (a sports package, a gaming package, etc.)

{ad}Speaking of gaming, one other great detail that was let slip during our phone conversation was the introduction of the Allio Extreme. This version of the Allio will have an NVIDIA video card pre-installed, and will be released in the first quarter of 2009. We’ll have a chance to review one of these units, but I was pleased to hear that I will be able to play Crysis on it. I have to admit that I still haven’t played Crysis (due to my own PC’s limitations) so I’m really hoping that this dream becomes a reality.

There are a few other tricks still up the Allio’s sleeve, as well. During the second and third quarters of next year, larger LCDs and other new tech will start rolling out. As well, a cheaper version of the system with Ubuntu will also be coming out soon. There’s no set target date yet, but it is a plan in-progress. I also asked about the ability to buy an Allio without an operating system, and Tré said that while it isn’t an official policy, they would probably do it if there was enough demand. If your company is interested in buying a few of them, then drop Silicon Mountain a line. If you’re a more simple person and you want one of those Vista Home Premium versions that are available now, you can get one here and it should get to you by Christmas (assuming you buy it soon).

All in all, I was impressed with what I heard over the phone. Not having seen a unit in person, it’s still difficult to say how high the quality is, but I have a feeling that they’re solidly put together. If Blu-Ray can find its stride and stay relevant, then these systems are truly the first of what will be a long line of successful HDTV/PC combos. A TV/PC in every board room and living room in America–that’s always been my dream.